Youth Unit: Let’s LEARN!

What is climate change?

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN
 Overview

1. Introduction
2. What causes climate change?
3. Hazards and impacts

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Top Tips!

Test what you’ve learnt afterwards with the

Climate Change Quiz

For a fun way to learn what climate change is try

Y-Adapt Session 2

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Introduction

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Weather

• Weather refers to conditions

like rain, temperature and
wind over hours to days

• LOOK out the window now.

What is the weather like?

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Climate

• Climate refers to average

weather conditions over a
long period of time (30+
years)

• THINK about what the

weather is normally like on
your birthday? - Is it normally
dry or wet / hot or cold?

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Climate change

• Climate change is a statistically

significant change in the state of
the climate (average weather) that
persists for an extended period
of time (decades or longer)

– ASK an elder what the weather

was normally like 30 years ago,
in your birthday month? Has it
changed?

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

What causes climate
change?

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 The greenhouse effect
• Sunlight passes through the atmosphere
to earth
• At earth’s surface it’s reflected back
through the atmosphere to space
• However! After it is reflected, greenhouse
gases can trap heat in the atmosphere
• We call this process the greenhouse
effect; as it is similar to a greenhouse
• Greenhouse gases act like a big blanket
around the earth, trapping heat

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Greenhouse gases

• Greenhouse gases trap heat from the

sun in the atmosphere, after it is
reflected from earth
• Greenhouse gases occur naturally in
the atmosphere
• Without them, the earth would be
very cold – about minus 18°C ! All
water on earth would freeze, the
oceans would turn to ice and life as
we know it would not exist

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Human activity

• Over the last 100 years, since the

industrial revolution, greenhouse
gases have rapidly increased in the
atmosphere
• This is due to human activities
which release greenhouse gases
• Electricity from coal or diesel
generators and industry or pollution
from factories contribute the most

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Global warming
• More greenhouse gases trap more heat in the
atmosphere, leading to global warming
• Since 1880, global temp has increased by
almost 1°C
• How much this rises depends on how much
more greenhouse gas is released
• Temp could rise by almost 5°C by 2100 (IPCC,
AR5). However, countries around the world
agreed to keep this below 2°C 
• Humans have added so much greenhouse gas
to the atmosphere, that even if all emissions
stopped today, the planet would still continue to
warm for decades to come

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 1°C or 2°C warmer sounds small?

• 1°C or 2°C - might not sound like much, but think

about what happens when your body temperature is
increased by 1 or 2 degrees?
• You would immediately fall sick and get a fever

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Global warming & the water cycle
• Global warming intensifies the water cycle
• Higher temps increase evaporation of water
from sea, lakes, rivers
• Warmer air holds more water vapour, resulting in
more intense rainstorms. This can lead to
flooding
• More floods where water runs off into rivers and
streams, does little to dampen the soil. This and
increased temps can lead to drought  
• Weather patterns across the world are effected
over time
• This results in CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Hazards and impacts

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Climate change, hazards &
impacts
• Climate Change is exacerbating a range of weather related
hazards around the world
• Climate change makes some hazards more frequent
• Climate change makes some hazards more intense
• These hazards impact people around the world

• The same hazard can have different impacts for different

people – see Let’s Act to find out more

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Scientists project:
• Temperature increase (0.3 – 4.8°C by 2100)
• Heat waves - more often and last longer
• Extreme precipitation events (rain, snow)
- more often and more intense
• Precipitation increases in wet regions
• Precipitation decreases in dry regions
• Increase in tropical cyclone wind speeds
• Decreased snow / ice extent
• Rising sea level
• Warming and acidification of oceans
Source: IPCC 2014, AR5
Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN
 Here are some climate
& weather events impacted by
climate change

Can you guess which hazards & impacts they

might relate to?
Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN
Changing seasons

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Drier & longer droughts

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Increased temperatures &
heat waves

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Melting glaciers & polar ice

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

Sea level rise

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 More intense rainfall &
increased likelihood of floods

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 Extreme winds
& stronger storms

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 What can we do?

Climate Change Mitigation: Action taken to stop climate change by

reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere

Climate Change Adaptation: Action taken to deal with climate change

impacts and reduce the effects on lives, livelihoods and ecosystems

Take a look at ‘Let’s ACT!’ section of the youth unit to

find out more about what YOU can do

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN

 References
• IPCC (2014) AR5 Synthesis Report;
https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full.pdf
• IPCC WGII (2014) Climate Change and the Ocean;
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/docs/WGII-AR5_Oceans-Compendium.pdf
• Nasa Kids (2017)

Graphic accreditations
• Rebeka Ryvola
Photograph accreditations
• Brigitte Rudram
Image accreditations
• The Noun Project 
• Y-Adapt images

Climate Training Kit. Module Youth: Let’s LEARN